Six injured in rollover

Six people went to hospital with injuries including broken arms and facial cuts after a tourist bus rolled on Princetown Road, south-west of Simpson on Saturday.

A district resident who came across a mini-bus crash at Cooriemungle on Saturday says there were “some nasty injuries” but it “could have been a hell of a lot worse”.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson said police were investigating the cause of the crash but they believed “the male driver travelling east on Princeton Road lost control of the 20-seater bus causing it to roll onto its side just before 5pm”.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said paramedics transported six patients in a stable condition to Geelong Hospital by road ambulance, with a range of injuries from facial cuts and abrasions to possible fractures.

Mr Mullen said injured passengers ranged in age from a female in her 20s to a female in her 60s, and he believed the bus company sent a second bus to transport the uninjured passengers to Camperdown.

Paul Robertson, who lives near the crash scene and was one of the first on the scene, said he and his partner Wendy came across the crash just as the passengers were getting out of the overturned bus.

“It’s on a big sweeping bend and you’ve just got to do it at the right speed,” Mr Robertson said, explaining there were no speed restrictions on the road.

“We had the trauma kit in the car and treated the worst of the injuries and wrapped them in blankets.

“There were at least two broken arms; the driver had a broken arm and one woman had a suspected dislocated shoulder and some of the others had some nasty facial and head injuries blankets

“But it could have been a hell of a lot worse.”

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information to help with the police investigation should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.